In one of its final games in 2016, the NRHEG girls’ basketball team played its best game of the season.

NRHEG took down previously undefeated Mankato Loyola behind 21 points from Marnie Wagner and 19 points and three blocks from Betsy Schoenrock in a 66-54 win Thursday night.

“It was a tough game,” NRHEG coach Onika Peterson. “I was very proud with how hard the girls played. They all stepped it up defensively and worked extremely hard.”

The Panthers were tasked with shutting down Lindsey Theuninck, who came into Thursday’s matchup averaging 26.9 points per game.

Theuninck got her 27 points, but it wasn’t easy.

“We were always communicating  where (Theuninck) was on the floor,” Peterson said. “We were always trying to get a hand in her face.”

The Panthers are 5-1 and have won five in a row after losing their first game of the season to Tri-City United.

NRHEG will now face a bigger step up in competition as it heads to the St. Olaf Holiday tournament in Northfield where it will face 4A schools Eastview, Hastings and Farmington this week. Those three teams have a combined record of 10-8.